Rabbi Shalom Mordechai HaCohen Schwadron

Moshe Tzinovitz

Translated by
Melanie Rosenberg

Rabbi Shalom Mordechai Hacohen Schwadron was considered to be the
Mashiv, the ultimate rabbinical authority of his generation. He was
recognized by the top rabbinical leaders of the day as a giant in the realm of
Jewish education, renowned for his greatness in Torah knowledge and spiritual
piety. Devoting these talents to the perfection of
halachic understanding, the rabbi became the highest authority (posek) on
questions of Jewish observance. No less a personage than the distinguished
Mashiv, the sage Rabbi Yosef Shaul Natanzon, looked upon Rabbi
Schwadron as his spiritual successor, saying, I see no one in this
generation who is a Talmid Chacham of his caliber.

Rabbi Shalom Mordechai Hacohen became the Mashiv HaDor, the
ultimate rabbinical authority not only for the rabbis of Galicia, Poland and
even Lithuania, but for the entire Disapora. The reputation of the sage of
Barzhan reached far and wide, and from his 6-volume book Responsa from
the RASH'AM(Rabbi Shalom Mordechai) as well as Ways of Peace
we note that he received difficult, complex questions on educational matters
from petitioners as far distant as America, Australia, China and Japan. Leading
rabbis of great stature, among them Rabbi Meir Arik of Tarnov, also turned to
him, acknowledging his superior authority on educational matters. Rabbi Shmuel
Yankel of Radomishlah and Rabbi Nachum Weidenfeld from Dombrova, the Admor (
Hasidic master) of Sanibedg and other celebrated rabbis, also considered Rabbi
Schwadron as the highest posek.

In the educational world, great importance was attached to his works
Mishpat Shalom (Laws of Peace) on Choshen
Mishpat (a section of the Shulchan Aruch), which offered interpretations
on the Shulchan Aruch, and Hagahot V'Hidushim al Shas Ohr haChaim

הזן את ביטויי החיפוש שלך.שלח טופס חיפוש

Web

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(Interpretations of the Talmud, Ohr Ha Chaim), Darchei
Shalom (Paths of Peace) on Talmud and its commentators,
Hagahot MRRSHG al HaShas (Interpretations of Rabbi Shimon
Greenfeld on the Talmud). Yet it was the publication of three additional
compositions by Rabbi Schwadron which aroused the greatest notice in the world
of Torah and education: Da'at Torah (Torah Wisdom) on
the laws of kosher slaughter, Galui Da'at (Manifesto)
on sections 61-69 of the Talmudic book Yoreh De'ah (dealing with
issues of ritual slaughter) and about the laws of kashrut. Yet a wave of
criticism followed the publication of Galui Da'at. Several leading
rabbis of the day took issue with Rabbi Shwadron's tendency towards leniency in
various matters. One prominent opponent was Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh Shapira, author of
Darchei Tshuvah (Paths of Repentance), head of the
rabbinical court of Monkatch, who claimed that certain of Rabbi Schwadron's
rulings were based on very shaky foundations. In a show of great humility,
Rabbi Schwadron responded by stating that his publication solely reflected his
own personal opinion and that each and every teacher was entitled to make
authoritative decisions based on his own conviction. Yet in practice, educators
in Israel looked to Rabbi Schwadron for instruction, holding his directives as
holy. Further credence was given to his stance with the publication of a
special addenda to the book Galui Da'at called The Final
Pamphlet. In this work, the rabbi took on his detractors, clarifying the
interpretations and directives in question and posturing a firm premise for his
positions.

Rabbi Shalom Schwadron was also distinguished in his knowledge of Jewish legend
and was well-versed in all sources of research and interpretation. He became
renowned for his original ideas in Jewish thought, as presented in his book on
Torah, T'chelet Mordechai. Further, he was an eloquent orator,
famed for emoting pearls of wisdom which left a lasting impression upon his
listeners.

Rabbi Shalom Mordechai Hacohen merited great respect for his activities on
behalf of public welfare. As deeply involved as he was in the education world,
he would leave the four walls of the yeshiva in order to voice his opinions on
matters of importance to the community. He assumed bold stands on issues which
he deemed to be crucial to the needs of the time.

In 1902, Rabbi Schwadron issued an appeal on behalf of supporting yeshivot and
Talmidei Torah (the school system) which began with the verse, and the
Cohen (high priest) went out unto the people. Even at that point, he was
keenly aware of the urgency to organize the
haredi public to strengthen their educational establishment. He was tapped to come to
America to reestablish the post of chief rabbi of the New York Kollel, yet
fully cognizant of the significance of that city's large concentration of Jews
and future as a major Jewish center, Rabbi Schwadron felt himself too elderly
for such a prestigious post and suggested a younger rabbi in his stead.

Rabbi Schwadron established a yeshiva in Barzhan called Tushiah
(Wisdom) with the goal of making it the first in a wide network of
yeshivot. Indeed, a number of outstanding, erudite Torah scholars emerged from
Tushiah to bolster the spirit of Torah in Jewish communities
throughout Galicia. The rabbi was committed to the improvement and innovation
of education in the
heder. Toward this aim, he commissioned a renowned
haredi
pedagogue, Dr. Yosef Zeliger, to develop a blueprint for a new, more
sophisticated educational curriculum. Yet the entire project was squelched due
to the rigid opposition of certain noted
haredi circles, with the admor (master) of the Belz Hasidim at the helm.

In 1908 a major assembly of rabbis was convened in Lvov devoted to making
financial arrangements for the Galician
Kollel (yeshiva) of Rabbi Meir Ba'al HaNes in the Land of Israel. Deliberations from
this gathering were prominently reported in the Jewish media of the day. Due to
the vast spectrum of ideological stands represented among the delegates, the
fear of dissention was noticeably present. For this reason, the participants
voted unanimously to select a capable chairman acceptable to all: Rabbi Shalom
Mordechai Hacohen Schwadron, the sage of Barzhan. So effective was the rabbi's
leadership that just before the conference ended, a prestigious
admor approached him saying, Please, Rabbi, give me a blessing. To the
astonishment of those gathered, Rabbi Schwadron responded by reciting the
traditional priestly
cohen blessing.

הזן את ביטויי החיפוש שלך.שלח טופס חיפוש

Web

www.buchach.org

In his behavior and his daily conduct, Rabbi Schwadron showed no hint of
favoritism or partiality. In his study of Torah, he was humble and took
advantage of no man. At the venerable age of 70, the rabbi himself rose to take
books from the shelves, never demanding the services of others. Exhibiting
humility and simplicity, he avoided lording authority over others. Each morning
he would step outside his home to scatter seeds for the birds and chickens.
Rabbi Schwadron was also honored and respected by those outside the Jewish
community: judges from the district court would frequently consult with him on particularly complex judicial matters.

His home was the headquarters for the Central Committee, and here he tended to
hundreds of inquiries and petitions daily regarding questions of what is
permitted and what is forbidden, religion and law,
kabbala, ritual slaughter, rabbinic ordination, the freeing of agunot,
and more. Great was the rabbi's diligence in addressing these matters, as well
as his rigorous tenacity towards learning. He was accustomed to making a
schedule each day, assigning hours to the study of
gemara, shulchan aruch, and other commentators. He never missed his regular daily lessons which
included 25 chapters of Bible (Prophets and Writings), one section of
mishnayot, and 18 pages of gemara.

He was born in 1835 in one of the villages in the Zelochov district in eastern
Galicia. His father, Reb Moshe Hachoen, a serious scholar in his own right, was
committed to securing an outstanding Torah education for his son from very
early childhood.

Rabbi Schwadron's first teacher and rabbi, Rabbi Ashkenazi, noted that while
he originally related to young Shalom Mordechai as a student, he later became a
close friend. Eventually the tables turned completely and Rabbi Ashkenazi
acknowledged his former pupil as his own rabbi.

Rabbi Schwadron's first rabbinical post was in the city of Potok-Zloti from
1867-1871. From there he was appointed as head of the Rabbinical Court of
Yazlovitch. Seven years later the rabbi became the head of the Rabbinical Court
of Buchach. Following that, he served for a period of 30 years as the head of
the Rabbinical Court in Barzhan prior to his death in 1911. His predecessor in
the post was the distinguished sage Rabbi Yitzchak Shmalkis, the head of the
Rabbinical Court of Paramishleh and author of the book of Responza Beit
Yitzchak.